FILIBUSTER REFORM: It’s been a long time since filibustering meant a senator stood up and talked endlessly in an effort to stymie legislation. These days it’s more of a procedural tactic (used quite aggressively by both parties over the last 10 years when each was in the minority) that kills progress on legislation or nominees, but rarely results in any speeches. Yesterday, Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced some modest changes (a “filibust” as some complained) in the way the filibuster will be used — though the agreement he and Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) apparently agreed on relies on willingness to participate, not any actual change of the filibuster rules.

Filibuster reform is actually a target of certain lobbyists. While many of them see their clients’ interests served by delaying — often, icing proposed legislation is the measure of victory for a special interest — there are a handful of organizations that reported lobbying for reform last year. At the top of the list are the League of Women Voters and Common Cause. According to OpenSecrets.org data, both of the groups have been lobbying on the issue for several years. Towards the end of 2012, more groups joined (or re-joined) the fight to reform the filibuster, including the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Sierra Club.

NEW SEC CHIEF: Yesterday Barack Obama announced he would nominate Mary Jo White as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, touting her years as the United States attorney in the Southern District of New York as a measure of her toughness. This is someone who helped put away mobster John Gotti, after all. Since leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office, she’s been a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton, a white collar firm that specializes in defending Wall Street firms.

According to OpenSecrets.org data, Debevoise is a firm that’s no stranger to political activity. Its employees have donated $2 million since 1990 (including at least $1.2 million in the last three cycles), although White does not appear on any of the recent donor lists. The firm’s employees don’t appear to be following the lead of some of their Wall Street clients (who we recently documented have been trending further and further right with their donations). Debevoise donors have always overwhelmingly favored Democratic candidates with their cash.

In the last two years Debevoise & Plimpton has registered as a lobbying firm as well. That part of its practice is still small: In 2011, the firm billed just $450,000, and in 2012 another $520,000 — nothing like the $34.8 million the clients of Patton Boggs paid for its services in just the first three-quarters of 2012.

FEINSTEIN’S FREEDOM: On Thursday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced legislation that would ban 157 types of semiautomatic weapons — by far the most aggressive proposal to tighten gun regulation offered by a federal lawmaker since the Sandy Hook incident in December. Feinstein is one of few members of Congress who don’t have reason to fear the fury of gun rights groups come campaign season. Re-elected last fall, she raised $10.2 million and spent $12.5 million, crusing to an easy victory over her Republican opponent, who raised only $900,193.

That’s better than her opponent in 2006, who only raised $198,630 (to Feinstein’s $12.2 million that year). In her last three elections, Feinstein has raised $34.5 million while her opponents have pulled in a combined $6.1 million. Her dominance is so complete that in her Senate race this year, outside spending groups barely bothered: Two conservative organizations spent a combined $17,000 on the race.

Russ joined the Center in March 2012 as the money-in-politics reporter. His duties include reporting for OpenSecrets Blog and assisting with press inquiries. Russ has a background in investigative journalism, having worked as a reporter for the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, and he spent five years as a newspaper reporter in New Hampshire. He has a degree in political science from Muhlenberg College and a M.A. in journalism and public affairs from American University.

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